I'm currently watching "Karate Kid Part II" and thinking about a. There is NO Karate Kid unless it's Ralph Macchio and b. They just don't make movies like they did in the 80s. There were so many movies with an underdog and "the mean people." It was usually a glaring class sort of a thing; the underdog was poor, be it Daniel LaRusso or any one of Molly Ringwald or Anthony Michael Hall's characters, and the mean guy, who was always William Zabka, was rich.
I guess growing up in the 80s, I was 13 when 1990 came about, the 80s are where most of my cultural upbringing originated. Yesterday, when driving back from my sister's, I listened to Casey Kasem's Top 40 replay from April 1986..wow. It was full of one-hit wonders, Loverboy, and a long-distance dedication featuring Lionel Ritchie. Awesome. I mean, honestly, the movies and music were so cheesy, but you can easily tell from 30 seconds of either, from which decade it came.
My sister and I used to tape the Top 40 every Sunday, well actually, we had to physically listen to the Top 40, have the cassette tape ready to go, and record our favorite songs, including, but not limited to: "Right Here Waiting" -- Richard Marx, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" -- Chicago, "What Have You Done for Me Lately? -- Janet Jackson, "Hold On" -- Wilson Phillips, and "All I Need" -- Jack Wagner. I kept a large majority of those tapes in a bag in my car until I bought a car that wouldn't play cassette tapes. It was awesome, hearing the broadcast before the actual song, and we would either cut it short or let it run too long. I bet my 9-year-old niece doesn't even know what a cassette tape is...*sigh* I'm turning into my damn dad...even more so...
On a different note, I heard a story today about black members of the NAACP being upset that Hispanics have been appointed as presidents of local chapters. A black minister in Worcester, Mass., said that "the NAACP was set up for black people, that black people have specific issues, and that their agenda would likely be hijacked by non-colored members being appointed to positions of power." He then likened letting Hispanics into the NAACP to the National Organization for Women letting in men. I'm sorry, but that is not the same thing. The NAACP is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and I think trying to keep Hispanics or Asians or anyone of color from being an integral part of it isn't much different than racist whites interpreting "all men are created equal" to mean all white, free men. It's 2011, and I think everyone's "agenda" should be the same, and discrimination in any form should not be tolerated.
"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter what their color."
-- Maya Angelou
2 comments:
Gah Em! I haven't listened to or seen a cassette tape in FOREVER! Thanks for bringing back the sweet memories. I used to record songs on cassette tapes even when cds were out! Haha. I hated cds. I still do to this day, just because I'm too lazy to care for them. They're sooooo sensitive! Ha. As for the NAACP, that is just RIDONKULOUS. I don't even have anything mean to say about him because he's worthless.
I finally gave up my cassette bag...it was traumatic. I think the last CD I bought was a Carrie Underwood CD, which is really funny, because I've never bought a country CD in my life, except for gifts, but I love her. CDs are so freakin' cheap now!
I have an iPod, I just can't figure out how to add new songs without having to pay for them...and I refuse to do that...therefore, it's full of Billy Joel and Madonna...because I'm old. :)
And the intolerant faction of the NAACP can kiss my southern, tolerant, worked-for-the-Democrats ass...that philosophy is a hypocrisy at its greatest.
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